My Heart In Your Cards
by Raving In The Rain
Summary: Pegasus has released new decks; each which contains spirits from around the world. One such soul is Iuli- a princess, and moreover, a Viking. Yugi & the gang vow to help her get to the afterlife and defeat the evils of her past, but they'll need the gaming skills of the pharaoh. Pharaohs build cities, Vikings destroy them. Pharaohs are lathered in gold, Vikings steal it. YYxOC
1. Awakening: A Legend

**Before You Do Anything…**

**1**. _I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!, blah, blah, blah. We know where this is going._

**2**. _I am very nervous about writing this. CanonXOC, especially in Yu-Gi-Oh!, is almost unbearable. I feel like I have to tiptoe over hot coals. But here I am. Please, if your Mary-Sue sense starts to tingle, please let me know immediately. I won't mind. In fact, that is exactly what I am trying to avoid. As soon as you see a red flag, PM that shit- or blow up my whole spot in review if you will. As well as grammar errors and anything ridiculous you may find. I'd appreciate it._

**3. **_I'd just really like to take a moment to thank _In The Foreshadow_. Even though she hasn't posted a story on this site, she has helped me so much in writing this. I was surprised by and so thankful for how similar our thoughts were on this and she really helped finish my ideas- and even supply new ones. She is so fun to talk to, very understanding, and a very good friend. So imaginative and caring as well. Also, she has drawn incredible pictures of Iuli- a character in this fanfic- and has truly made me want to be a better writer in all aspects. She even made an amazing Yami speech that motivated me to get this and much of my other works done! Lol. So, _In The Foreshadow_, thank you so much! Stay gold, beautiful!_

* * *

**SUMMARY**

Pegasus has traveled the world for inspiration in designing new cards. But he's done more than that- he's captured the spirits of legends from around the world, and they're more than just holograms. Afraid of losing his credibility, he hosts a tournament to bring all the duelists who own the new decks together and eliminate the spirits. Tea Gardner is one of them. She awakens the spirit of Iuli; a Viking princess who's as uncooperative as she is hot-headed. Tea and the gang must collect all the cards to Iuli's deck in order to set her free and find the secrets of her past, but they'll need the dueling skill of Yami to get them and beat the enemies standing in their way. Pharaohs build cities, Vikings destroy them. Pharaohs are lathered in gold, Vikings steal it. How will the two ever get along? _Yami x OC (Iuli), and peachshipping_

* * *

"Long ago, in a land where the sky is carved by great mountains and the night is lit by the aurora, there once was a powerful king. Ragnar; Ruler of all Vikings. He there lived with his four children- Einarr, a brave and wise warrior who with his bow and arrow went undefeated; Tyr, a deadly swordsman who commanded great Viking armies; Ormar, a powerful Godi; and the youngest, the king's only daughter, Iuli the dragon-tongued.

Legend goes that dragons were the guardians of their lands and were said to have possessed magical powers. It was the princess' job to speak to the dragons and determine whether they were good or evil. When she approved, the dragons then became partners with the Viking people. One rider, one dragon, and a bond that could not be broken. This gave the family power over all the other Nordic rulers and made them fierce protectors of the north. However, it also made them the most feared, inescapable pirates amongst Medieval Europe. It was no secret that the family had made many enemies. One English king in particular figured that if he were to remove the princess, the Vikings would lose many of their dragons. Fueled by revenge of Vikings raids, he put together a plot to steal the princess away and in turn give him the power to control the beasts.

A great and bloody war broke out when the English king came to the Viking lands to capture the princess. When the brothers' strength alone was not enough to defend their sister, a long rumored of warrior had emerged from the flames. Egal the Heartless. He took the princess from the battle, sneaking her up into the mountains where she'd be safe from harm. The English king, ruthless as he were, pursued. Egal hid the princess away in the dark forests as he left to fight the king who so desperately followed them. Iuli had no knowledge of the battle, who of her friends and family were still alive after a savage few days, and if Egal were ever to return. She was starving, cold, and alone. So she began her way back down the mountain until she saw a figure emerge from the snowy horizon.

It was none other than the English king! Soaked in blood, he hurried towards his treasure- the princess. But just before he could reach her, Iuli had summoned the most powerful dragon of the land; Valgard, the God Thor's own dragon, who when he growled, lightning streaks would tremble in the sky. Valgard swooped down, taking the princess in his mighty claws, and she was gone. Never to be seen or heard from again. For years after, the English king drove himself mad trying to find her, but he never did. No one knows what happened to the dragon princess; only that she and her Viking kin vanished into history with the dragons."

Tea puts down the magazine, quite fond of her reading. She takes a moment to examine her friends faces before sliding the article their way. Each one is a friendly, familiar face that's not worried about a shadow game, twisted enemies trying to kidnap them, or even the pressures of a tournament. No. Instead, the day has progressed smoothly and, to their surprise, normally. It almost feels empty without one of their enemies cackling madly or proclaiming how inevitable defeat is. But Tea isn't complaining in the least. Today she and her friends are normal high-schoolers with homework and gossip. She might as well catch her breath while she can, right? A little normality isn't so bad every now and then. Maybe now she can finally find out why Brooke and Nathan broke up, or why Mr. Ayame from the guidance office was fired, even read the latest issues of _Seventeen_ and _Game Girls_.

"Wow. Pegasus really puts a lot of work into designing new cards. Were these actually real people?"

"I guess so. It also says he spent three years traveling the world just trying to dig up the past for inspiration. The original Duel Monsters were inspired by Ancient Egyptian carvings, but now he wants to expand into other cultures and legends as well. These new decks are going to be amazing!"

Joey snatches the magazine from the desk. He flips through the pages hungrily, snickering goofily as he skims.

"Eh, the Viking deck is pretty cool. But not as cool as this one!" he slams the magazine down again before them, flashing the advertisement for the new _Dawn of Triumph _deck. All their eyes widen at the sight of seven-star gladiators, thick, battle-ready Spartans, and slick trap cards.

"Wow. They've got Spartacus, Achilles, Hercules, Gaius Marius, Alexander The Great, and Emperor Nero!" Tristan twinkles.

"Eh… who?" Joey ruffles the fluff of his blonde hair in questioning.

"They're historical Greek and Roman figures."

"Oh, yeah. I knew that. I was just testing you."

"They do look pretty strong," says Tristan again, "but that Viking deck sure looks intimidating too. That one guy with the bow and arrow is said to have never been defeated. Which one do you think is better, Yugi?"

Yugi sits just across of Tea, collecting his deck of cards after another successful duel. Without even looking at the ad, he smiles politely and chirps, "Well, it's not all about having the strongest cards. It's how you utilize them that matters, which includes magic and trap cards. In the right hands, both of these decks can be pretty tough to beat."

"What? You saying that princess lady can beat the new Minotaurus-Rex? He's got, like, twenty-five hundred attack points. The princess hid in the mountains while all the fighting was going on! Who wants a card that cowardly?"

Yugi laughs. "What if the princess has some kind of special ability? The article did say she could speak to dragons. We won't know until the release."

"Yeah, well, when these new decks come out, I'm gonna be the first to get my hands on a _Dawn of Triumph _deck. Then we'll see whose better than those brute Vikings! They 'aint got no brains!"

Tea grabs her magazine away, slightly annoyed by Joey's insensitive ranting. "Well, then it seems you have a lot in common with them. Bad manners and all. At any rate, I think the new _Valkyrie Chosen _deck is awesome. I can't wait to check it out. Besides, the princess was hidden to protect her people, not because she was a coward! If I had her card, I'd use her to destroy your meat-headed gladiators. And let's face it, Joey. When have you ever beaten me in a duel?"

He slumps back down in his seat, the slick remarks and beaming pride fading from his reddening face. Tristan and Yugi manage a laugh without coming down too hard on their pal.

"Don't worry about it, Joey. You can always practice with the duel computers. Or just get beat by a little kid again.".

"Hey, watch it, Tristan! That was not a little kid. That was a dwarf. A fourty-two year old dwarf with a coincidentally high-pitched voice. I refuse to believe anything else."

Joey tucks his arms into his chest and puffs some hair from his face. Getting a taste of his own medicine is a little more sour than he expected, but it isn't all bad. There's a sense of pride in that he can bring such wide, open smiles to his friends' faces. Even at his own expense. And, although he'd never say it aloud, he probably deserves it.

"Anyways, Yugi, isn't your grandpa supposed to be getting the new shipment soon?" Tea tries again to learn more; and although it isn't her intention, her question finally turns on a light bulb in Joey's head.

"Yeah! We could be the first to see the new cards! That'd be sweet! C'mon, Yug, you gotta get us a deal."

"Well," Yugi blushes at the urging of his friends, "I don't know."

"Oh, come on. We're all dying to see them. That fresh smell of new untouched, never opened, Duel Monsters? It'd be great if we could see them before anyone else does."

Tristan and Joey are practically in Yugi's face now, drooling over the splendors of new cards like they'd been starved of adventure.

"I guess it wouldn't hurt. Just to look, at least. I'll see what I can do. Maybe grandpa can let you sneak a peak just this once."

Seemingly oblivious to the classroom setting, the two boys leap into the air with boisterous victory chants. They have no care for the eyes that are scattered around the room. And all the while, Tea can only shake her head and pretend like she doesn't know the two. Sometimes she really wishes she had more female friends.

* * *

"Sir! Mr. Pegasus, sir!" a man comes rushing down the hallway. He throws open the door to Pegasus' lounge, expecting all the quirky displeasure of his boss. Pegasus sets down his drink and turns his chair to the intruder. Three years of traveling and marketing work, and still his employees will hardly give him an ounce of solitude. With a sigh that bemoans a laconic reply, he bothers with asking what could possibly be so important at a time like this. The man struggles to find his breath and pulls himself together enough to tell his boss the news.

"Mr. Pegasus. Forgive me, sir, but there's been another report."

Suddenly this isn't so trivial to Pegasus. He immediately stands, his hands emphatically thrown down onto the bureau.

"What? Where? This can't be!"

"This time it was in France. The victim could only describe how real it was."

"France's release date for my new cards was yesterday, wasn't it?"

"Yes, sir."

Pegasus shakes his head. His shoulders sink lower and lower with every new incident. First Ireland, then Greece and Denmark, now France? All he wanted was to be able to come back to his private island and relax after three years of being away. Yes, just a glass of wine by the pool or a nice hot meal in his movie theatre. He had even been planning the party to celebrate the success of his new line of cards. That, however, would have to be cancelled now. This had never happened before. Why the holograms for his new cards weren't holograms at all was incomprehensible. Several reports of _real_ Duel Monsters? It wasn't possible- especially not when they were his designs.

"I don't understand. We sent all the card data to Kaiba Corp, correct?"

"Yes. Everything was signed and transferred."

"Then the holograms _should _be working properly for all duel disks and duel systems. Hmm." he ponders in dismay for a moment. Not only is his credibility on the line, but his entire company. Everything he has built and worked for could be in jeopardy if these attacks continue. But then, it's not really _his_ fault the holograms aren't working, is it? He finally lifts the drink to his lips as if making some devious toast.

"Mr. Pegasus, what happens when the release of these cards finally goes worldwide? It'll be pandemic and every lawyer from every country will wants our heads."

"Do calm yourself, will you? Everything will turn out just fabulous. You see, if the holograms are defective, that's not really our department, now is it? Everything will fall onto little Kaiba-boy. How unfortunate for him. I'd hate to see him buried beneath all those lawsuits." Pegasus smirks haughtily.

The other man straightens after his boss. Pegasus is right. "I see, sir. You are quite the genius."

"I know. Now, bring me a full copy of the report and make sure to keep an eye out for new ones. I want them as soon as they happen. We can't let the media get a hold of this just yet."

"Yes, sir. Right away."

As the door closes, Pegasus' cocksure grin fades with the taste of wine. If the knot in his stomach serves right, then it could just be that he's done more than simply design a few cards. Wouldn't be the first time, would it? He'd thought that leaving Egypt alone would give him freedom from all the curses and mystical items, all the prophecies and sorcery. And somehow he knows- _he just knows_- there is no way Kaiba Corporation will overlook these things. He can see it now; Seto Kaiba himself barging into the office, briefcase in hand, and ready for his head on a plate. Pegasus knows that sooner-or-later, he'll find himself and his bank account twirling from Seto's gallows. But he can't tell his men that. Not yet. He first has to make a call.

* * *

There's something about it all. Something in the story, the familiarity, the fantasy of it that trickles into the crevices of her heart. Vikings, dragons, and princesses. She couldn't quite put a feeling to it, but she wanted to burst. And even more so, she wanted to hear her father's voice. It was a distant time when she had once snuggled close in his arms, when the deep tones of his voice would tuck her quietly into bed. Tea shakes her head, though. There is no wish to think about how much she misses him. What was she doing? She is practically an adult. She has no business getting all giddy over some fairytale. That isn't at all like her. Still, she's more than anxious to see the new cards. There is just something about them. The fairytale. The magic. Her father.

A smile is branded over her face as Tea and her friends make the journey to Yugi's house. A November breeze wakens the leaves around them, beckoning for some long tucked-away sense of adventure in Tea's soul. Half way down the street, they can already hear Yugi's grandfather waving them down. He is the most animated elder she's ever met and just like family. Perhaps he would be able to satisfy her need for a father figure.

"Hey, Mr. Muto! What's up?" Joey shoots back, rushing towards the gentle old man. He's plenty merry to see them all, taking a moment to look down at the Millennium Puzzle as if welcoming the spirit within as well.

"Oh, there's just a bunch of boxes coming in, and you lads wouldn't mind helping an old man, would you?"

Lights twinkle in their eyes.

"A bunch of boxes filled with _new cards_?" Joey and Tristan push closer.

"Maybe," Solomon snootily jests, "maybe not. Depends on whether I get some help moving them inside."

They need no more invitation than that. Each teen hauls a full, wide box into the game shop and plops them onto the counter. Before Yugi can even ask his grandfather for a look inside the boxes, Joey has one torn open. Packing peanuts whirl everywhere in his savage quest for cards. Solomon whirls around quickly to beat Joey with the broom just before he can take a glance at the fresh cards within.

"Joey!" Yugi disapproves.

"Hold up, Mr. Wheeler. These aren't just any cards- they're Duel Monsters. And any good duelist knows they must be handled with care from the box to the draw, especially since these are so fragile and new."

"Nice going, nitwit. Now he'll never let us see them." says Tristan. Joey gives him a shove before returning to rubbing the back of his head.

"Is that what this is all about?" Solomon turns to Yugi in a more forceful manner. "You wanted to see the new cards first, didn't you?"

"W-Well… yes, grandpa. I'm sorry. I didn't think it would be too much of problem. We're all just really excited for the release. Please, grandpa. Let us just a have a quick look?"

"Yeah, please? C'mon. We'll help clean up around here!" the others chime in.

The old man retains his disciplinarian features. He mulls the idea over and over, his hands sternly on his hips, his eyes scanning the faces around him. They had to be worthy, that was for sure. Not just anyone could see the new cards before they were supposed to. But Yugi, what a fine duelist he'd turned out to be. Well behaved, honorable, respectful of the game and an artist of it too. Joey, brainless as he could be, wasn't so shabby a duelist either. And the hope displaying upon Tea's face was undeniable. He admires her countenance the most; the wishes between twin dimples, the nerves rattling in her bright blue eyes. Even Tristan carries that duelist spirit. Surely, he figures, the pharaoh himself bore some hidden childish anticipation.

"Oh, what can it hurt?" he finally breaks. Not even he could deny the sense of yearning within his old bones.

"Yes!" they all chant as if the home-team just won homecoming.

"On one condition." Solomon cuts them of. "You must promise to never reveal that I showed you the contents of these boxes before the release. It'll be a full twenty-four hours until the official release here, and in that time, there must not be a word about what you've seen. If you want this game shop to continue doing business and keeping food on the table for Yugi and I, then you'll shut your yaps. Understand?"

"Yes, Mr. Muto. We promise."

"Alright then."

He takes the first box. Joey's manhandling of the package has made it difficult to remove the cards with ease, but the old man's hands are skilled. Rows upon rows of cards are lifted from the cardboard, each one tightly secured in plastic protectors. The teens can hardly wait. Their fingers dig into the counter, their teeth bite into their lips to hold back an excited squeal.

"Now," says Solomon, "you must be very careful. These here are from the _Dawn of Triumph_,"- he points to each of the sorted stacks- "these from the _Flames of Honour_, the _Sacrificial Sanctuary_, and _Seas of Wonder_."

While her friends dive into the cards, Tea simply eyes the countertop for a moment. Her hand is clutched around her heart- although she can't remember when she had started doing that. Solomon notices this; her lonesome, almost disappointed, stance. She is not the same girl who walks into his shop almost everyday, nor the charismatic, breezy girl that his grandson talks about so endearingly.

"Excuse me, Mr. Muto." she finally squeaks. "You wouldn't happen to have any _Valkyrie Chosen _in there, would you?"

"Let me check." he is delighted to be of help to her, to have a chance to make her smile. After all she had done for his grandson, it was the least he could do. And something, just something, about her eyes that day…

"Ah, yes. We have a few small packs for _Valkyrie Chosen_. Not the bulk sets like there are for the others, but I hope this'll do for now."

"Oh, yes, it will. Thank you." and those eyes come alight again. It's the fairytale. Solomon can see the childhood memories seeping through her smile. She's heard the tale of Viking King and his four children. And suddenly it clicked. The cards he held in his hands thumped with their hearts. He listened to their call, heard their hidden message.

And just as he passes her the packets, a car rolls up to the curb. _A customer_. Solomon hurriedly and neatly places the decks back into the box, urging the teens to follow in suit as well. If anyone sees the new cards before they are supposed to, the consequences are never ending. And more so if anyone saw that he'd given permission to see them. Joey, Tristan, and Yugi all run off into Yugi's living room before the customer can leave their car. But when Tea tries to put the cards back, Solomon immediately stops her. He cups her hands, forcing her to clasp onto the packets like it were life-or-death. He smiles in that gentle, reassuring grandfather way, and nods.

"No. Keep these. They'll do better in your hands than in my shop."

There is no time to thank him. So she nods as well and slips back into the household section of the Muto residence as the game shop bell rings behind her.

"Aw man. Did you see that? What I wouldn't give to have a card like that in my deck." Joey whines, slumped over the couch already.

"But you do, Joey. Don't you like the cards you have already?"

"Of course I do! What kind of question is that?"

"I don't know, you just… seemed like you weren't happy with what you have."

"Way to make me look like a lousy guy, Yug."

"I- I didn't mean to-"

"Eh, no worries. Hey!" Joey suddenly notices Tea standing nearby and the packages of cards glittering in her hands. "You didn't put them back?"

She shakes her head. "Yugi's grandpa let me keep these. It was very kind of him to do that, I… I can't. I should give them back."

"No way! Are you kidding me? I'll take them!" Tristan leaps.

"Oh, no, Tristan." Yugi begins to mediate again. It seems to be much of his role these days. "It's ok, Tea. If Gramps let you have them, it's probably for a good reason. He knows what he's talking about."

"Yeah, but what if someone finds out he gave them to me and-"

"He knows the consequences, but took them anyways. For you. Whatever is in those packets, he knew it was meant for you."

"But how?"

"That's the heart of the cards for you. Duel Monsters isn't always a thinking game. It's also about _feeling_."

She stands still for a moment, her eyes fixed on the packets of cards she holds. She wants to be able to understand. She wants to know why these pointless tales of princesses and dragons make her feel as she does. She wants to be able to feel the thump of the heart of the cards beneath her fingertips. Like Yugi. Like the Pharaoh. Like Solomon does. So she listens, and listens, and listens…

_Thump. _It is faint. It is like a lonesome drum that beckons. _Thump. _Louder. She can almost tap her feet to it. _Thump._ There is life in the cards, a secret voice that so many overlook. A secret voice that she begins to unwrap, the plastic containers shedding away and freeing the heart of the cards. The heart much like the one of the fair princess staring back at her.

**END CHAPTER**

**THANK YOU FOR READING**


	2. Awakening: Maybe It's Broken

Sirens echo ominously through the trees. More and more approach as the minutes struggle to pass. Blood soaks deep into the earth, nourishing the flowers and the grass. Police have no idea where to start first the damage is so sporadic. Nothing like this had ever happened to their city. Domino is great in size, with a population of a varied many. But this? It's too early for this. It's too sudden. The last thing Domino City needs is a killer on the loose, especially one so heinous. Hundreds of kids come out the park everyday, but none ever ended up like this. Slain, murdered, left to rot. A medical examiner kneels over the body, her case of cotton swabs, tubes, and rubber gloves all raked through. She lifts and poses the corpse for the crime scene photographer. She reads the traces of trauma upon every inch of the cold, wide-eyed teenager.

"Any ID?" she inquires to the detectives circling her.

"None yet. No ID, no wallet, no nothing found in the area. There's no missing persons reports fitting the description either. "

"With temperature and rigor, I'd estimate the time of death about 12 hours ago. Around two, two-thirty in the afternoon. From the looks of him, he's got to be around fifteen or sixteen. The uniform indicates he's a student at Domino High. Must be a local; probably on his way home from school when he started a game of Duel Monsters."

"How do you know?"

"His deck is still clamped in his hands. And this," she lifts a bloodied Duel Disk to the detective. The contraption is mangled beyond repair, the corners beaten and smashed as if thrown into the road. He slips it into a plastic bag for evidence.

"What the hell happened to this?"

"Must have been used in self defense. We'll need DNA analysis, maybe the perp's blood is on the Duel Disk." she states indifferently, pointing to each of the grim gashes in the boy's torso. "But that's not what killed him. Thirteen blows to the chest, but only one killed him. It's the freshest and the deepest wound, splitting the trachea and piercing the lung. Someone was taunting him with pain. Duel Disks are not designed for smashing or tearing. If we were to try stabbing a person with it, we'd need to hit several times in the same spot to do any real damage. This person, however, tore right through flesh with every blow. The wounds don't fit the ones that could be left by a Duel Disk anyways."

"So what do you think did it?"

"I can't say for sure. It has that dagger shape, and went in clean. But these are much too big for a simple dagger."

"Like a samurai sword then? Someone would have noticed if a person was carrying one of those around."

"No. More like a broadsword, something more bulk and has double edges."

"Maybe someone's just a real sore loser. A duel gone bad?"

"Very bad."

"Alright. Well, let's check Domino High's attendance records. See whose not in school. And then why they were left bleeding in the middle of the night. Someone has to know something."

* * *

She's had nightmares before, but not since she were a small child. A plea grips her throat. _Father, father_! She wants him. Needs him. Her father always used to rescue her from the claws of her mind. He always used to run down the hall and wake her, pull her from the monsters before they could take a bite. But now, even deep into sleep, she knew he wouldn't come. Tea shakes herself awake, her eyes screaming with all the horror she'd devised in her subconscious. Her heart is in a tantrum terror, yet slowly fading from the night's fear. Her skin is damp with sweat and her blankets tangled from her struggle. At last she sits up in bed. It's silent. The clocks don't tick, cars don't drive by, the cat doesn't stir. The darkness stills around her and freezes her bedroom in an icy gloom. Not even a snake of moonlight can tunnel through this darkness.

"Oh God," she sighs, stroking her hair from her face. She waits for herself to calm before treading back to the nightmare. Only frustration comes. Only fury and loathing. Tea closes her eyes again, trying to dig up whatever frightened her so, but no images come. She can't recall a single thing from her bleak dream, even though its skeleton is still felt in her heart. Nothing survives into her conscious mind but for the single thought of Solomon's cards. _Valkyrie Chosen_. She looks out towards her vanity where the packets are still neatly placed. It was a foolish thought. She had to stop thinking about them, about the stupid fairytale and the stupid princess! She grits her teeth, half way ready to yell at herself, and tosses herself out from the warmth of the blankets. The world outside her floral bed covers is cold as death and populated by the swirling shadows masking her room.

And there they are. The cards Solomon gave her; the princess right on top.

"What's the matter with me?" Tea picks up the card. "I shouldn't be getting so worked up over nothing. I have tests and dance and the pharaoh to worry about, not this. They're... they're just cards."

But her father isn't. Her father is real. At least, in her heart. So why couldn't she stop thinking about him? The only other time she felt like this was around father's day, but that had long since past. Holding the cards so closed in her hands brings back memories of when he'd hold her close, call her his little "lily". He would read her stories until she fell asleep. From "Moby Dick" to "Cinderella". He had the perfect storytelling voice; the weighted, eloquent tongue talented in an array of accents. He even raised an octave to warble a female's dialogue, although always more humorous than anything.

No! She can't dwell on this. Not now. He's gone and that's that! Tea shakes her head, tossing the cards into a drawer with a slam. She splits the shadows as she storms back into her bed. This time she threw the comforters over her head and clamped herself down into the pillows. Something must have been wrong with her to even look at those cards again. Yes, maybe she was sick or... completely going insane. It wasn't like Yugi's relationships with_ his_ cards. He and the pharaoh had a destiny to fulfill, and those cards were more than cardboard and paper. They were a way home. The Egyptian God cards were more real, more powerful than any high-tech holograms could project. But these? A princess who could speak to dragons, undefeated warriors without hearts, without loss? They were mere fairytales.

Like the ones her father used to tell.

* * *

School wouldn't come easy either. Everywhere she turned there was talk of the new release. Everyone was dying for school to end just so they could storm the game shops the second the bell rang. That is if they even bothered to show up to school. Half the desks were emptied by hooky-players who were probably already purchasing the new cards every time she exhaled. To think that just yesterday she was half as hyped as the masses. All she wanted was to get her hands on the Valkyrie Chosen deck, and now that she has, it was old news. Old, miserable news.

Of course, no one could convince Joey that they were as dull as they were talked about. Joey poured himself over the desks. His moans and roans conquered all the other's with all their intensity.

"Man, can this day be any longer? All the good cards are gonna be gone by the time we get out of here. I knew I should've just played hooky. But no. I had to listen to that goody-two shoes in my noggin'."

"You mean your conscience?"

"Yeah. I hate that guy."

Tea rolls her eyes. Normally, she'd be glad to joke around with her best pals. But this day isn't normal. Nothing seems to be anymore. She just wants to get the sleep she lost from her nightmare. If the thoughts of the cards in her dresser would even let her sleep. She couldn't disregard them not even when an exam was placed before her or her friends were fooling around. Every moment her mind would wander back to the princess and Egal The Heartless Warrior. She's supposed to be taking notes as the teacher rambles. Yet everything he is saying, everything he scribbles onto the board, makes no sense. It's like he's speaking another language that she would never grasp. Nor does she want to. She is an empty body in her desk, a bunch of inert air contained by her caging skin. Her eyes are dull and grey, not their normal radiant blue. They look upon the day with sluggish indifference and only glisten with life when the cards would creep again into her thoughts.

Yugi is the first to notice this. He watches her fondly from the back of the room; how she wreaks of melancholy, how cold and still her posture is today. A myriad of conclusions rumble in his head. Maybe she got into a fight with her mother again. Maybe she felt guilty about accepting the cards from his grandfather. Maybe her cat died. Maybe she's nervous about confessing her true love to him. As soon as he thought it, he could feel the pharaoh smirking from the back of his mind. He wanted to throw something back at him before a blush fell over his cheeks. He could dream, couldn't he?

At last the bell for lunch brings the classroom to life with all sorts of obnoxious noises. Everyone sorts into the cliques faster than the teacher is able to turn around. The basketball team shoves their desks together, the gossip girls dive deep into their purses and beat their phones with texts, the wanna-be valedictorians throw open the textbooks and complain about how slow the math class was being taught. That left the group of friends to their own secluded spot by the windows. It's_ their_ spot and everyone knows it thanks to Joey and Tristan. They crowd together and, almost instinctively, reach for their Duel Monsters.

"So, Tea! Did you bring your new cards?" Tristan shouts.

Tea raises her arms, ready to ward off a crazed crowd in pursuit of the new decks. "Not so loud, Tristan! People are going to wonder how I got them so quickly and manage to still come to school on time."

"Oh, right. Well, did you bring them?"

"No, I... left them at home."

"What?" Joey pouts. "What a bum."

"Oh, look who's talking."

"It's ok, Tea. Sometimes cards can be like training wheels. You're so used to the deck you've already made and dueled with countless times. To add new cards or start a whole new one takes time to get used to with practice. Use them when you feel ready." Of course Yugi is always there for Tea's defense.

"You're right. Thanks, Yugi."

He smiles reassuringly in return.

"Well, this is charming and all," comes Joey again, "but now it's time to duel! And Tristan's going down!"

"Oh, you're on, Wheeler!"

It's a shame duel disks are prohibited in school, but a playing mat is just going to have to do. Tea and Yugi position themselves for the best view of the fight, and for an instant, bump shoulders as they sit. They both let a laugh slip to break the could-be tension. Now they guard each of their moves, training themselves not to get too near to the other. Tea sighs in her head. Why couldn't she just tell him...

The duel continues with the usual banter. Joey advances, and then Tristan advances. Neither back down in the battle of buffoons. But this allows Tea and Yugi to laugh and to watch. It allows them to pretend like their closeness, their feelings, aren't the dominant drums of their heartbeats. Joey readies himself for the victory. He has the smile, the glint in his eyes, the speech already prepared. With the ace card in his hand, he may even sound like the coolest guy in the world. But he'll never know for sure now, because before he can place the card, a girl is tearing through the classroom with shrieks and sobs.

"It's Rafe!" she hollers. "Oh God, it's Raphael!"

The class moves under her words. Each pair of eyes looks to her for more, or simply because she could be a lunatic barging in as she has. suddenly it's still. Everyone is quiet but for the girl weeping into her hands.

"They... They found his body this morning. In the park."

"What?" everyone gasps.

"Rafael? From the soccer team?"

"No way!"

"It can't be."

Most of the girls in the class have already come to the crying girl's side. There isn't a smiling face to be found in the room. Not even amongst Yugi and the gang. They all take in a breath shock, their eyes awake and alert. Nothing so traumatic has ever struck Domino High before. At least, nothing so sudden. Last year, Professor Kozaburo passed away from lung cancer. It was sad since he was such a beloved, funny teacher. But the process was long. People expected it to happen on any day. Raphael's death was like lightning on a sunny day. One of the most athletic, healthy sixteen year-olds Domino has ever seen suddenly dies? No one could have prepared themselves. No one could have seen it coming.

"I don't understand. How?" Tristan, the only one in the gang who knew Rafe personally, stands with a fist.

The girl coughs on another wail pleading to escape. She shakes for a moment before speaking again.

"Murder." she says. "He was murdered!"

Tea clutches her heart. "A murder? Here?"

"Nothing likes this ever happens in Domino." whispers Yugi. He can't believe it. No one can. The fact that someone would take another innocent life scraped the nerves under Yugi's skin. His knees shake, his heart pounds. The pure soul can hardly take it. It may have even been rage. He didn't even know the guy, but murder is murder, and he loathed it all.

Tea steps back into the wall, a horrible, monstrous feeling filling her guts. Again, her mind travels back to her dresser drawer. To the cards trapped within. Her surprise and sorrow quickly morphs into anger. How could she being thinking about a card game at a time like this? One of her fellow schoolmates has been murdered, and she's worried about some new cards she got? Stupid, stupid, stupid. A swarm of self-aimed slurs fought insider her throat, all firing for the chance to escape.

Or perhaps, she stops herself, those cards plague her for a purpose. A murderous purpose.

* * *

She stares at them, scattered blindly in her drawer. The sun sets through her room. Oranges and golds mark the end of the day, stretching the shadows wide across her bedroom walls and floor. The only sounds are those from the occasional cars passing the house, a crow beckoning from some ways off. It's so unusual to realize how lonesome her house felt. Her mother was, on Tea's good days, out working or sleeping off the stress. The cat hardly bothered to welcome the teen home or make a show of himself. No. It's just her. Just her and the cards, their creeping paranoia, keeping her company.

Tea's duel disk is alive on her wrist. Her life points untouched and the slots empty. She looks down at its glowing lights and then back into the drawer. She needs someone to scold her. Talk down to her. Because clearly trying to convince herself that nothing is wrong hasn't been working. They're just cards. And when nothing happens when she plays them, she is going to feel so incredibly dumb. This she tells herself as she scoops them up from the drawer and composes them into a neat pile. Her own deck is at her side where it should be. It's a comfort to her to have them so near. She needs the backup; not only in case she's uncomfortable using the new cards in duels, but also in case her gut feeling is right.

_Just do it, Tea._ _It's not a big deal. Get it over with already. What do you have to be afraid of?_

She draws her first Valkyrie Chosen card. Tea's eyes flash wide upon the sight of the princess she's just picked up. How is it that she can not escape this monster? Iuli The Dragon-Tongued; attack - one thousand-seven hundred, defense- one thousand, element- light, type- warrior / effect. _As long as this card remains on the field, increase the ATK and DEF of all dragon-type monsters by 600 points. If your opponent controls a dragon-type monster, it can not attack this card. Special summon "Valgard - Thor's Dragon of Lightning" to increase this card's ATK and DEF by 600._

Not too shabby, she dares admit, but it's no Dark Magician Girl. This card would be even better if she actually owned Valgard - Thor's Dragon of Lightning. She looks at her a bit harder. She wants to say she's seen this image before, the princess posing powerfully against a stark purple background. She wants to say she's seen a girl with hair as red and as long, with eyes as blue as they are inked on the card. Maybe somewhere in an ad for the deck. Maybe somewhere in a commercial. Maybe it just reminded her of a celebrity or of her cousins she hasn't visited in years. Something or another was familiar. And that only makes matters worse.

She closes her eyes, fighting against herself, and places the card on the duel disk. She waits. And waits. And waits.

Nothing. Tea looks around her room, but there isn't a hologram to see. Her eyebrows arch in question. The duel disk has full battery- she made sure of that. But it's not working. She looks it over, shaking it a couple of times, and still there is nothing.

"But... I don't get it. Maybe it's broken." she says aloud to herself. As an instinct, she takes out one of her trusted cards- The Magician of Faith- and gives that a try. The hologram appears normally. Nothing abnormal about it. So then she takes Iuli off and summons her again. Only The Magician of Faith waits for further instruction. Tea howls, tossing herself onto her bed. Those stupid cards! All the hype for nothing! They don't even work. Or maybe Kaiba Corp just hasn't downloaded the images yet. Maybe they're working on some new technology or something. Maybe there's a glitch in that one slot and she needs to try placing it somewhere else. She knew it was foolish to get her hopes up. She just knew it! Now what the hell was she going to do? Stupid cards! Stupid stories and fairytales! Stupid duel disk! Stupid Kaiba! Was Solomon aware that he'd been selling bogus cards? Because that would murder his business if he is. She huffs into her pillow, thinking that'd she better call Yugi and warn him about the cards. It's the least she could do instead of moping around.

She manages to slide her feet off the bed and onto the floor. The rest of her body is harder, not wanting to exert any real force. She elbows herself up until she's finally standing upright. Tea shuffles to her bookbag in search of the cell phone. That's usually where she leaves it, but she can be wrong. She is a teen after all. When it's not there, she thinks to head to the kitchen. But when her foot touches the threshold, there is a noise that stops her, body and soul. It's a feeling of a heartbeat. A sound of a steady strum of blood and breath. She looks back at the duel disk tossed mercilessly upon her floor. It's off, but the cards still in its grip remain. And the heart of the cards still beats.

**End Chapter**

* * *

**Hey, sorry this wasn't uploaded earlier. I thought I uploaded this a few days ago, but apparently not. Woops. Sorry. I must be more distracted than I thought. Well, I hope you enjoyed this and please review and all that good stuff if you'd like. I know I'd like you to since I'm worried so much about a Sue in the works, but I don't want to tell you how to live your life. lol. Anyways, prepare to meet Iuli the Dragon- Tongued in the next chapter and let the ride begin!**


	3. Awakening: The Game Begins

She'd be lucky if she could even snag a moment with him. Every game shop in the country is flooded with eager customers all diving for the new cards. Most are desperate teens in search of purpose or a quick way to fame. Get one of the rarest, most powerful new cards, and perhaps no one will no how to counter their attacks. They'd be the biggest thing in Duel Monsters since Yugi beat Kaiba. Others were rampaging parents whose spoiled children cried out for the cards. Tea had seen many of those in her days; the whiny, arrogant duelists whose parents fed them false hope by the bottle. Whatever the case, Tea knows just how unlikely it is that Yugi would have time for her on a day like this.

She slips through the door of the Kame game shop. There are already people zipping from wall to wall like flies, and they all just see her as another person to push past so she can't grab a deck box before them. Mr. Muto is pinned behind the counter. His old bones creak and crack every time he reaches down for the cards on display, or when he takes to the tippy top of the shelves. Tea immediately heads his way, though the crowd begins to feel more and more like having to swim through a school of sharks.

"Mr. Muto!" she waves.

"Oh, Tea. Good to see you again. Here for more cards, are you?"

"Actually, I'm just looking for Yugi. Have any in stock?"

Solomon puts a hand to his aching back. "Hah. Strange. Must have sold out. The boy was here just a few moments ago. I'm afraid I have no idea where he went."

"That's ok. You look like you could use a hand here anyways."

"Oh, thank you, Tea. But I'll be alright. If you could grab me some advil or something from the house, however, that would be splendid."

"You sure that's all you need?"

"Of course. And if you see Yugi in there, do tell the lad to hurry up whatever it is he's doing so he can hang out with you. It's very important that a future husband and wife get along, you know."

"M-Mr. Muto!" Tea shrieks without realizing. Solomon only chuckles heavily from within his overalls. Another customer is in his face before she can get another word out. Instead, she turns herself away, hoping no one could hear how fast how her heart was beating in her chest. Tea welcomes herself into the Muto house where it is quieter than usual. Mrs. Muto isn't cooking in the kitchen, Joey and Tristan are not over fighting for the TV, and Yugi is nowhere to be seen. Still, it feels more like home to her than her own house. The scent is always so inviting- usually of sweet or whatever Mrs. Muto had prepared for the night.

"Yugi?" she sings. "Yugi, you here?"

Thuds rumble from the upstairs. Tea pauses at the bottom step, waiting to here his feet pat down to her. Perhaps Yugi is busy. Perhaps intruding upon his work is not her best course of action. She's about ready to turn and leave when she can hear his voice, though low and tender, slipping under the door of his room. He'd been talking with the pharaoh. Now there is even more wonder as to if she should have come. Tea stands with her arms guarding her heart as she waits.

"Tea?" his voice follows the opening and closing of his door.

"Yes?"

"I knew it was you." he hurries down the steps. "So, what are you doing here?"

"Waiting for you, of course. Your grandfather let me in; asked me to get some advil for him. The poor guy. He's really working hard in there."

"I know. I've been helping him around the shop all morning. I would be in there now, but I think it'd look a little strange if I started talking to Yami in front of all those people."

Tea giggles. "Yeah. It would. I'm sorry. Did I interrupt your conversation?"

"Not really. It was just one of those we couldn't exactly keep in our minds. Heh..."

The conversation hardens now. A silence forces them to shift their eyes; to the floor, to that dashing picture on the wall, to the highly entertaining twiddling of fingers. While his eyes are not there to ward off her own, Tea examines her dear friend. He's almost as red as she is, rubbing the back of his head and looking for another topic of conversation. Strange how the two have no trouble talking while surrounded by Joey and Tristan's foolery. These silences only exist in their privacy, when it was just her and just him. Still, Tea notices something crisp in the arch of Yugi's brows. Something like the worried ponderings of an ancient pharaoh.

"Is there something the matter?" she opens.

"Huh?"

"You look... troubled."

Yugi searches briefly around the corners. Although there is nothing to spy within the shadows, Yugi is taking no chances, His ears perk up as if the pharaoh is leaning down into his ear and whispering.

"Can we go someplace else?" he asks.

"Of course. Let me just get the advil for your grandfather. He'll be needing it."

"Right."

* * *

They stroll gently along the sidewalk for a while. The streets are more vacant than expected for a Saturday afternoon, though the couples that pass lovingly by them make Tea feel slightly pressured. Advertisements for the new decks are everywhere. Even on restaurant windows and coffee shop tables. It's hard for Tea to be free of them; of that memory of her father. She shakes away the nightmare she had, feeling for the cards in her pocket. They're still there. Still haunting her. She has to give them back.

"So, what is it, Yugi?" she asks as calmly as possible.

Yugi stops walking just as they reach the park. The crime scene tape blockading children from play is a grim reminder of yesterday's loss. Tea can still hear the wails and sobs of her classmates at the news of Raphael's death.

"The pharaoh thinks something is wrong. Very wrong."

"Huh? What do you mean? Like, another shadow game?"

"Possibly. There's something going on with the millennium puzzle. Lately, it's been a little hard communicating with the pharaoh. That's why I had to leave grandpa in the shop for a while. Normally I'd just talk to Yami through thought, but being in the shop- in my house- I don't know. It's like we get bad reception. Heh. It sounds crazy, but I don't know how else to describe it. It's like there are energies tugging on it constantly."

"Well that's odd. Is it happening now?"

Yugi lifts the puzzle in his hands and waits. His eyes hover over it until again he meets Tea's. "Actually, it's pretty calm here. Not like in the shop, though. there's too much interference in there."

"Hm. What do you think this all means?"

"It means we'll have to keep an eye out. We may not know all the secrets of the millennium puzzle and why it's acting this way, but that just means we'll have to prepare for anything." he states firmly.

"Right. I just wish we had a better idea of what we're getting ourselves into instead of being paranoid. But no matter what, I'll help you find the answers. What are friends for?"

"Thanks, Tea." Yugi smiles warmly. His eyes beam straight at hers and for once they do not shy away. "By the way, um, what was it you wanted to do today? 'Cause I was wondering, you know, if it's ok with you... we could-"

"Hey. What's going on over there?" Tea's gaze is already across the street and into the crowd gathering there. Yugi swings his attention around and meets the rowdy bunch of duelists herded at the corner. They're all the way across the street, but they're loud enough for Yugi and Tea to make out some of what they're saying. Everyone is excited about something big in the dueling world. They're asking who, what, where, and when, but everything is all jumbled noise.

"I don't know. Let's check it out." says Yugi, leading Tea over. The crowd is all smiles and amazement at the approach of the King of Games himself. His skill and victories are practically legend, and Tea is about ready to shove the girls bursting with crushes and idolatry.

"Yugi! It's him!" they arouse. "Are you going to enter?"

"Enter? Enter what?"

"Really?" a tall boy points to an advertisement in the widow of an arcade. "The whole world's talking about it! Maximillion Pegasus is hosting another tournament on a some new private island of his. It's only for duelists who have the new_ Clockwork Conquests_ decks. You know, the new cards. It's going to be so awesome!"

"Yeah! It's going to be like the grand unveiling of all the cards so we can see what they can really do. You have some of the new cards, right? I mean, you're the King of Games."

"W-Well, no. Not me. But my friend Tea does!" he moves slightly away to open her up to everyone's gaze- or to save himself from Tea's wrath. "She'll be entering the tournament and I'll be there to cheer her on!"

"What? Yugi! No! I'm not-" Tea jumps in her skin. She's ready to faint and doesn't care who sees. She's never entered a tournament inher whole life. She was always the one cheering Yugi on, always on the sidelines. What in the world was Yugi thinking telling everyone she would duel?

"Really? Cool! What kind of 'Clockwork' deck will you run?"

"Do you think you'll place?"

"What will you put as deck master?"

"Um... I..." Tea steps back. She looks to Yugi for help, and still no answers come. She can't tell if she's furious with him or if she's glad he wants her to branch out. Either way, when she bumps into a man behind her, her whole world stops. All her new cards waterfall from her pocket. They flutter around the sidewalk and grace the man's feet. No one stops to help, they are all too intrigued by the mages of Vikings and futhark writing upon spell cards.

"Valkyrie Chosen." the whispers and mutter.

"I'm so sorry, sir. I didn't mean to-" Tea stutters as she reaches down to pick up the cards. The man, too, kneels down to her level and begins picking up the cards. He apologizes as well, trying to laugh it off. At first he seems very kind and chivalric. He doesn't blame Tea, nor is he mad. But something changes. He freezes for a moment, silent and eerie. His laughter completely cuts off in mid-chuckle.

Tea looks up at him. He holds a single card tightly between calloused, pink fingers. His eyes are hard but his brows reveal a more troubling story. The man is thickly built, hair encompassing almost every inch of him. Even his face is sculpted with formidable strength. This disheveled figure has to force himself to look up from the card he'd been so concentrated on. At last he hands the card back to Tea with a most indifferent motion.

"These are very interesting cards." he says. "You are interested in Vikings, yes?"

"Vikings?" Tea studies the card in her hand. Again, it seems she can not escape the dragon princess's gaze. She trains her eyes onto the glimmer she sees in the painting. Something alive. It feels as though the heart of the cards is flickering through the princess's satin blue eyes; alive and firm. No. It can't be. Tea shakes herself and turns her attention back towards the man.

"Oh, no. Not really. These were just a gift. Thanks for helping me-"

"A gift of fate, perhaps?"

"Huh?"

"Nothing. I do hope we meet again, Tea. For I too am entering the tournament. Prepare your... _princess_... for my loyal knights." he practically spits.

"Oh, um... right. The tournament."

He takes Tea's hand in his and places a tiny kiss across her knuckles. "Until then, fair maiden."

Yugi joins her side at his departure. They watch the man walk off to some unknown destination with their eyes wide. The crowd is just as silent and disturbed as Tea. No one wants to mention how incredibly awkward it all was.

"What was that all about?"

"I have no idea." she sighs. She again peers down at the princess she holds in her hands. Whatever she thought she saw is gone now. It is just a painting on paper. No life. No heartbeat. "But I don't like the look he gave me. The look he gave Iuli."

* * *

Tea waves goodbye to her friend. Although Yugi insisted upon walking her home, she refused to let him leave his grandfather alone in the shop any longer. Now, as the sun cuddles softly into the horizon, it is time for Tea to retire to her solitude. The walk home is not a far one, but tonight she finds herself drifting farther and farther away from the city. It's not often that she divulges much into her fantasy, but it is cleaving dearly to her heart. Memories of her father swirl all through her. Sometimes she can swear he's striding along beside her until she realizes that it's his absence accompany her. She knows just how painful memories can be. How hurtful it is to know she will never hug, nor speak to her father again. Alas, as much as she wills herself to forget his voice, his scent and his smile, there is another, quieter half of her that has made its home in those memories.

"Once upon a time," he'd declare, placing Tea upon his lap, "there lived a beautiful princess. She ruled kindly and justly over the Kingdom of Ice and Frost. The snowy faeries forever danced and flitted over the land, alas, leaving no place for a single flower to bloom. No flower, but for the princess herself, whose very name was Lily. At first all was well in the pale, cold Kingdom of Ice and Frost. The people came to the palace every night with music and stories. They danced until the night began to wake into morn,"

She pauses, thinking she's heard something. She is now in the woods on the outskirts of town. It's strange to feel the breath of the woods after all these years. Her father took her out here all the time when she was little. Sometimes she would pretend she too could talk to the little fluffy critters that she came across. Like a princess would. Her father always said the best way to talk to animals is to sing to them. That always put a smile on her face.

_Now how did the story go again? _She thinks.

"and each day the people would sleep away the chill. The princess knew that no food would ever grow anywhere but for in her garden. And that was the reason, as all the people knew, that a feast was held in the palace each night. For the land was frozen; cruel to all who dared to farm it."

This time for sure. This time she's definitely heard something. A rustling of leaves, a crunching of twigs in her shadow. She waits to hear it again. An animal would continue without concern for her. The animals that live around here would never dream of getting so near to a person. But there is only silence.

The story. The story. The story. She tries to calm herself by remembering her father's voice. What happened to the princess?

Tea picks up her pace. Whoever, or whatever, is in the woods with her, must not be as stealthy as they thought. Her heart steadily matches the speed of her long strides. She can hear it throbbing against her lungs, pushing herself forward and faster. It is the engine working hard to keep her alive, to keep her body moving. The rustling continues behind her. Tea doesn't want to believe it, but she's actually fearful. She knew she should have just walked home. She knew it! She knew it! This was a bad idea. Why had she let herself be carried off by hopeless dreams and lonesome memories? Why did she want to feel like everything was going to be ok when she knew it wasn't? Her heart is shaking in her head. It's so loud. So furious. It's so fast and obscured, it even has an echo.

_No_. Tea stops. It's not _her_ heart strumming across her skull. It's not hers at all. She moves down into her pocket again. The heart of the cards.

An arrow blazes through her hair. It takes a clean cut of her brunette locks and pins them into the neighboring tree with a perfect knock. Tea is so stunned, there isn't any time to process how close she'd just come to death. An arrow. _An arrow_! That's all she knows. All she sees. Her body won't do anything but freeze. A great pair of arms reach around her waist and lifts her over mountainous shoulders. She shrieks, more from the shock than anything, before she is slammed back down into the dirt and grass. Now she stares wide-eyed down the long, silvery blade of a sword.

"Y-You!" she exhales at the sight of her attacker. The man she had bumped into just earlier that day, the one who'd so gracefully left a kiss atop her hand, was now caressing a blade to her throat. He stands indifferent to all the fear pouring from Tea's eyes, his muscles tense around the grip of the sword.

"But... I don't understand. Why are you doing this to me?"

"Hmph." he smirks. "Rules are rules. Perhaps one should not enter a tournament if one does not know understand the game."

"What?"

"Enough questions. You have lost. Farewell, wench!"

And as he raises his sword high, Tea closes her eyes and throws her hands over her head. She can not believe this is happening. Her body is squirming defensively in ways she didn't know she could. She waits for the blade to greet her flesh, and wonders how much it will hurt. Oh, how she hopes it will be a quick death. Let it be over and done with. A sound so loud and steely breaks her. Her body quakes from the surprise, from the adrenaline. But not from the pain. Slowly, she moves her hands back down and her eyes peel open one at a time. Then they fly open.

A green woolen dress acts like a curtain to the action. A girl's long, rose hair weights her head in its braid. And from what Tea can see, her sword is what guards her from the man's blade. Tea pushes herself back into a tree. Though, she isn't quite sure what exactly that will do. This is not happening. It can't be. Tea has seen that dress, from the gold sash that ties it together, to the brown fur cuddling the cuffs. She has seen that red hair, woven together by that same golden lace. She has seen that sword, so feminine and royal in its jewels.

"Iuli the Dragon-Tongued." she whispers.

Iuli is finally able to shove the man away. She swipes her weapon against his, flinging it from his grasp. The swords trips over into the woods, but there is no time to retrieve. Iuli raises her sword, point to flesh, to the man's neck. The two circle about the woods like vultures, each one daring to keep foot with the other.

"Ah, princess. Have a nice nap, did you?" he taunts.

"I will not pretend to be clueless as to what your master bid you do. But you will leave this girl alone, Alerot. Your neck depends upon your surrender."

"My, it sounds like someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed. Truly your long, long, slumber is not the reason for your bitter tongue, is it?"

"You know my disposition. It came long before any of this- perhaps the day you thought it best to sail across the sea and greet my people."

Alerot laughs. "As if you remember the day."

A most loathsome growl escapes the princess's lips. She jabs the sword onward, but Alerot dives below it. He takes the quick second to elbow her in the stomach before bolting away into the forest. A wicked cackle follows him through the shadows and trees. Iuli knows where he is running so quickly to, and she can not allow him to reach his master.

"Tea." she calls sharply.

Tea jumps. She had hoped she'd been forgotten, that she could sneak away without notice.

"Y-Yes?" she answers simply because it is a normality.

"In your deck, there is card known as the Ceal - Shooting Star Bow. I need you to equip that to me."

"Uh... um. O-Ok."

Tea blinks hard. Her duel disk glows without a single card on it- not even the princess. How is it that she was able to summon a monster without playing the card? Tea is heavy with confusion. None of this is making any sense.

"Quickly, Tea. We must not allow him to escape."

"Right." she sifts through the cards in her hands, fumbling nervously over them. At last she finds the bow; a spell card that enables a monster to attack directly. She slips the card into one of the slots in the duel disk, and then it materializes in Iuli's hand. Iuli poses the great, menacing bow, reaching the string back to its farthest length. Her eyes close in on Alerot, still scampering away to his master like and obedient servant, and the arrow screeches across the air and through the trees. It leaves trail of glittering debris like the shooting stars it was named for, and supernovas into its target's back. Alerot's last whimper sent the birds flying away where he went down.

"At last." she says, lowering the bow. "The games have begun."

**End Chapter**

**Thanks For Reading!**

* * *

**So Sorry I had to delete and upload this story again.**

**The worst part is that I lost all my reviews and followers.**

**It would mean a lot if you could help fill that void? (If you know what I mean *wink wink*)**

**If you don't know what I mean, well... it means I hope you will review if you like this.**

**It will mean a lot. Thanks, everyone! Love all my readers! You mean so much!**


	4. Awakening: Our Ways Are Strange

**"Y-You... You just killed a man!"** Tea sheds her voice. "Y-You- oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! The arrow, that guy! No!"

Tea peers into the scene without looking, tumbles over speech without thinking. She guards herself from Iuli with trembling hands. Her head is shaking with all the shades of disbelief; the disbelief that Iuli could be standing before her, the disbelief that she'd just witness a man go down at an arrow's disdain- the same man that only hours ago had pressed his lips to her flesh. No. Iuli was a Duel Monster- a hologram! That man was real. His lips, his touch, his stare. That kiss; that was real too. But so was the body laying out in the woods. So was the crystal arrow supine in his skull. But it's not supposed to be real. Tea pouts and accuses a little more, her heart dipping low down into her gut. None of this is supposed to be real. Iuli is a monster card. The arrow is a magic card. These are just holograms. Just holograms.

"But this man... is real." she speaks amazedly. "And you... but... I just watched this man die! Like, he's dead! He's real!"

Iuli's eyes roll in the waves of Tea's fret. She only wishes that Tea would collect her sanity as she does the bow and arrow over her shoulder. The Medieval woman heaves a sigh that tosses her red bangs out of the way.

"Is this the first acquaintance with bloodshed you've made? How very strange for one of your years."

"Ok. This freaking me out. I don't understand. This guy is a real guy, and you... you're a card. You are a hologram. How did you... how is this even possible?"

"Ho-lo-gram?" asks Iuli curiously. "Please, what is this?"

Tea is taken aback. "Wh-Who are you?"

"Oh, yes. Do forgive me. After all those years at war within the veil, it seems I have forgotten my manners. It is most delightful to see that formalities are still used in your times." she holds her head up high, and dips gently. "I am Princess Iuli of Norway, daughter of Great Viking King Ragnar III and his Queen Arnora. And you, honourable Tea, have my greatest thanks. You are most brave in choosing to ally yourself with my people in this time of war. Are your armies prepared for the great sacrifices that are soon to come?"

"What?"

"You are indeed the leader, I presume. Am I wrong in this assumption?"

"No. I mean, what are you even talking about?"

"My English fails me? The study of your modern tongue is fairly limited within the veil, and I must confess, it escapes me yet. I'd thought my practice would one day aid us-"

"No, no, no! It's not that. You... you have to go! I'm returning this card, this deck! Ever since I opened that packet of cards, things haven't been the same. Your wars, and veils, and killing of innocent people! I don't know what's going on here, but I don't want any part of it. You are going back to where you came from!"

Tea holds up Iuli's card and slaps it down onto the duel disk. The machine comes to life on her wrist, the lights glowing, her life points stocked. She switches Iuli into defense mode, and suddenly the bow and arrow disintegrates from behind her. It is Iuli's turn to widen her eyes.

"No! Tea, I implore you. It is well advised that at least one of us be armed should another one of Zagan's men appear."

"Well, now _I_ implore _you_. Whatever is going on, it is freaking me out. Look, I don't know how you know my name or how you can hurt real people, but I'm done playing around. You need to leave me alone, you hear?"

Iuli stands still. Her eyes glower down at the earth as if some answer is waiting for her there in the dirt. Tea's fingers are pulsing just over her card. At any moment she can swipe it, tear it, send it to the graveyard. But she doesn't. She watches the princess for a sound, for a move. She wants a reason to prove that this is a dream or that soon she'll wake up from some thirty-year coma. She wants Iuli to be so undeniably fake, or to have some glitch that without-a-doubt exposes her as a holographic monster. Like Fire Sorcerer, like Dark Magician, like Blue Eyes. But Iuli only sighs again with a real breath, with a real sorrow lingering in it. And she turns to her with real eyes and a real pout. Sending this card to the graveyard feels more like homicide now. Can she look into her eyes and kill her? Can she sacrifice her, discard her, dispose of her without seeing a human in those eyes?

"I'm afraid we can not part." Iuli speaks softly. "As a torture as I may now be to you, I am your Deck Master. I am the first of the Valkyrie Chosen monsters you've summoned. And, although it appears to anger you so, we are one now."

"And you thought I would just be ok with that?" Tea stomps her feet. "You honestly believed that you could show up out of nowhere, claim me as some host, and expect me to join your little war-game? Is that it?"

Iuli makes no attempt at a reply.

"I mean, who do you think you are? Are you crazy, or are you just another bloodthirsty, pirating, pushy, Viking? Do you understand that you just killed a real person? An innocent man! And what if the police get involved? I'll be a witness, an accomplice! How am I going to explain that a stupid hologram ruined my whole life in just a few simple minutes?"

"I have done wrong?"

"Yes. Very wrong. Hello! This is not Medieval times! This is-" Tea stops. The fire dies before it can erupt. Her eyes smite the girl as harshly as they do blanket over her every feature. There are these bright blue orbs wiggling in the skull of a Viking Princess. These eyes Iuli bears can empower and inspire. Tea is sure they have awakened the hearts of many armies in the past. They can cut an enemy's words with one glance, and bring a whole room of nobleman beneath her. But they can just as well understand, and love, and befriend the soul. They are in fact the same eyes that Tea wears each day of her life, the same eyes that she is using to hold Iuli in her place. Tea finds herself in the blue of her eyes; a reflection standing there lonely and afraid.

"You have no idea where you are, do you?" she asks gently. Iuli looks up, and again Tea can see the similarities there are between them. Those are her eyes staring back at her.

"No. No, I do not. Time had no meaning in the veil. It must have slipped so quietly past us all that we'd no way to fathom your world. And now I have made a terrible mistake that I only wish I could take back."

"You're a spirit, aren't you? A spirit trapped within the cards."

"Yes." she says. "We all are."

"All?" Tea's eyebrow raises.

* * *

**It isn't like no one is going stare at the **girl adorned with a full-length Medieval dress and a most horrendous odor. But thankfully the night had snuck over them and sheltered them from too many eyes. It's only when passing a darkened alleyway or an abandoned corner store that Tea is somewhat glad she has a sword-bearing Viking in tote. But other than that, trying to get Iuli to her apartment was like trying to walk a rebellious puppy with ADHD. Every sign that glows, every car that passes, every food that smells is another reason for her to stop and ponder. Tea is running very low on patience. She just wants to get this all figured out, but Iuli, who is as difficult as she is ignorant, has so far managed to turn a five-minute walk home into a half hour.

By the time they reach the door to her apartment, Tea is ready to face-plant her bed. Even the couch, which is even nearer, seems like a fluffy, warm cloud. And perhaps when she wakes, Iuli will be gone and this will as be a dream. A really bad, irritating dream. But there is no way she can sleep now. Her house is bestrewn with clutter, and noise bombards her the moment the door is opened. Men's voices shout and squabble in some foreign tongue. Her first thought is that her apartment is being robbed. There is enough mess to conclude that someone had been searching through her stuff, perhaps in want of something. But that thought breaks with a loud crash as two scarcely clothed men tumble violently into her living room.

"Runi! Skaari!" Iuli claps her hands excitedly.

"Princess?" they pause on the floor.

Tea turns to the princess with a shriek. "You know them? Iuli, why in the world are there Vikings wrestling in my house? You better have a hell of an explanation!"

Iuli blushes under the pressure. "As my spirit had awakened from the cards, as did theirs. Any Valkyrie Chosen monster you own has now returned from the veil. We each are bound together, you see. These are my friends, also found within the cards you possess. This is Runi Bloðøx, or 'Blood Axe' as you would say, and his brother Skaari the Skull Splitter."

"Wait, wait, wait." she holds up her hands in defiance. "So there's two guys with names like Blood Axe and Skull Splitter in my house, and they're your _friends_? Oh, can this day get any better?"

Iuli is about to attempt a sort of condolence, reaching out to Tea's shoulders, but immediately backs away when a shadow falls over them. Heavy footsteps have shake the princess' core and force her to bow respectfully to the man looming over the scene. Even the two wrestling boys stand appropriately with their heads down in submission. Tea turns slowly to the force behind her and meets to the face of a thick, grimacing man who looks down his nose at her insignificance. His blonde beard is thick and tangled with all sorts disgrace, but he stands proud and tall as a noble. He's at least four heads taller than her, and a table width wider as well. His scent is just as abhorred as Iuli's- a dead animal's cologne with a hint of a year's worth or perspiration. And as much as his crazed eyebrows try to cover them, his eyes are again the same. The same as Iuli's, the same as hers. And he must notice this, because his eyes lose their hardness and take Tea in.

"Who are you?" his voice thunders.

"T-Tea. Tea Gardner."

"Tea Gardner. I see Iuli has chosen you as our host."

"Uh...yeah. I guess."

He can not help but smirk. The man strides over to the princess with all the superiority in the world and places a giant hand over her shoulder. "The princess is of very young age, as you can see. Her knowledge is little and her heart is, in the light of her most recent of choices, like a lamb's. For being born from a line of great strength and broad shoulders, Iuli bears a slight more compassion than her kin. And one must wonder, as I am sure you have come to contemplate, why it is her heart has chosen you as the sole host of our existences, and general of our great purpose?"

"Uncle," Iuli begins.

"Silence. Lady Tea, have you ever seen battle?"

"N-No."

"No? My, what an inconvenience that is. How about this. Have you any knowledge of war or of weaponry?"

"Um... I know that my great grandfather was a soldier in World War II."

He shoots a look at the princess. "And how about your skills? Are you well acquainted with a sword, or perhaps a bow? Or perhaps have done battle with an enemy that has wronged you merely with the power of The Gods' given fists?"

"Oh, you mean like a fight at school or something? No. I, um, try to avoid that if I can. But I used to play with toilet paper rolls and pretend it was a sword when I was little...?"

The man stares into his niece's eyes for a moment. All at once, a great fist lands in her cheek and she tumbles into the wall. Tea shrieks at the sight. Such a powerful, gargantuan man laying hand upon a young girl not even half his size. And even more so, Tea can feel a remnant of it. It's like she has bitten the inside of her cheek and it now swells with pain and size. The man goes again for Iuli, who is trying very hard not to make a sound of her discomfort.

"The most important decision in the determination of our victory- of our _freedom_- and you waste it all on this child!" he shouts. "What crime is this? Had you no remembrance of the folk, of all whom have perished for your safety, and of all who still meet with the blades to ensure our afterlife? Iuli, this decision had the fates of all us Valkyrie Chosen suckling from its power. And you have decided upon this girl! This weak, ignorant, child. This decision was to help free us all, not to find someone you could relate to."

Tea jumps in just as he is about to hit her again.

"Stop this! For someone who knows so much about battle, you are forgetting that there is a time and a place for it. And you are in my house now. You are in my _world_ where there are laws and severe consequences. And here we do not put our hands on people, especially those weaker and smaller than us."

He stops for a moment and thinks on this. Runi and Skaari are staring slightly amused by it all, as though no one had ever said something so defiantly to this man. But Tea doesn't wait for him to reply or for him to make another move. She helps Iuli to her feet and leads her again towards the door.

"Tea, no. I must stay."

"No. You wanted help, well you're going to get it. And since I'm too much of a 'weak, ignorant, child' to do so, I think I know someone who can."

"Huh? Tea..." she admires the modern girl's little sparks of strength. And although her uncle is eyeing with concern and disappointment, Iuli knows she's chosen rightfully. Somehow she knows. And somehow her uncle is both amused and frightened by this.

The man nods to the other two boys and the simply know what to do. They wrench themselves into their clothes, tying their swords to their sides, and bow respectfully before racing after Iuli and Tea.

* * *

**All is dark at the Muto residence. **Tea knows knocking at his door so late in the night is useless, but she goes for it anyways. Knowing there are the eyes of three Vikings bearing down on her makes the silence of waiting all the more unnerving. All their eyes stuck to her, waiting for another miracle of the modern world. She could hardly bear their looks any more, and so turned to a new solution. She circled the house for a way in; an opened window, the spare key under above the light. Nothing.

She then looked to Iuli on a whim. And the girl stood immersed in the dark of the night as if it did her favor by cloaking her. She toyed with the split ends of her long, bushy braid, sheltered behind her muscular friends. Tea watched again in her head how that man had not even thought twice about slamming his fist into face. Iuli took it bravely, doing all she could to tell herself it didn't hurt. But Tea knew it had. She'd felt it.

"You two. Can you do me a favor?"

Neither replies, but they look to her to continue.

"I need you to find some small stones. Pebbles. I have to get Yugi to wake up without waking the whole city, but I can't do that if I'm out here. You think you can manage?"

"Of course, Your Ladyship." Skaari smiles, nudging his partner to follow. Tea watches them dip around the corner before approaching the princess again.

"Iuli." she tries. "Are you ok?"

"Hm? Why, yes. I am only curious as to what this person may do to aid us in our great journey."

"He'll know what to do. I'm sure of it. Now..." Tea hesitates. "Who was that guy back there? The one that hit you."

"Oh." the princess looks away with a wee laugh. "That is Egal. He is my father's brother."

"Egal The Heartless?" she thought back to the shimmering name imprinted on the Duel Monster card. _ATK 3000. DEF 1700. WARRIOR. A fearsome warrior of spears who protects his brethren with a flaming spirit. Legend goes that he'd been stabbed in the heart, and when he did not die, his enemy presumed him heartless and invincible._

"Yes. My uncle... he is harsh, that is most true, but 'heartless' is so dark a shade for him to wear. His title is almost an undeserved one, I dare say."

"What do you mean? He punched you in the face and you still think he's nice? Iuli, everything he said was cruel and hurtful. How do you just accept that? You're a princess!"

The princess stirs. Her sight reaches for the stars hanging above. "Our ways are strange to you. Alas, the matter of my regality bears no relevance in whether an uncle may lay hand upon mine cheek. I do believe it only warrants a beating more so in that my position effects the lives of the many. I must confess, I am lucky I am a girl. My brothers would have endured much worse than my uncle's fist when they had wronged. It is in my culture that we thank our elders for the beatings bestowed upon us. They do it out of love, for if they did not beat us, perhaps we would not cease our wrongdoings. In hitting us, it teaches us humility. It teaches us the error of our ways, to endure the pain of our mistakes, to accept it, and to move on from it. My crown does not hide me from this pain; it only makes the beating harder. People depend upon me, so I must learn quicker."

"Hm. Well, I've never actually thought of it that way. It's just... he's so much bigger than you. I can't believe he'd hit a girl."

"Girls are not capable of making mistakes which deserve a punch to one's face?"

"Well, no, I mean..."

"I understand. And were my nurse here, she'd have beaten me well and hard. But I'm afraid my uncle is now the only one in the position to perform this punishment. He is blood. But do not fear. It was you I was worried for. I must apologize for his belittling of you. He is a most stone soul, quite displeased by outsiders. Yet, in all my years, I have never seen him so astounded by a young girl's words. He must now think differently of my choosing you."

Tea giggled, remembering the look on Egal's face after having told him off. It was amusing to see such a hard, cold man be out-voiced by a scrawny teenaged girl.

"Iuli," she begins again, "why _did_ you choose me anyways?"

But she can not say. Runi and Skaari return too quickly with their arms full of torn clumps of asphalt. And now the mission is back on track. They pour the compounded gravel at Tea's feet and await her next command. Had her encounter with Egal raised her to a respectful title? She takes the smallest of the lot and tosses it straight at Yugi's bedroom window. She calls up to her friend as quietly as she can without disturbing the neighbors, or even Solomon and Mrs. Muto. She knows that even if Yugi is too deep asleep to hear any of it, the pharaoh will know. He'd always kept one eye open, if he even managed to close the other. And somehow she was hoping for him to come to the window more than she was for Yugi.

"Yugi!" Tea whispers loudly. "Yugi, wake up! It's me, Tea!"

"Are you quite sure that this person can help us?" Skaari inquires hesitantly.

"Oh, yeah. Of course. If anyone would know what to do, it's him. I mean, we've already gone through so much- from bad guys kidnapping us, threatening us, trying to over the world. Trust me, this will look like a walk in the park compared to everything we've seen."

This made them each search the other's faces with a sort of hope.

"He is a hero then? Most respected by his folk? Honoured? Extolled?" says Runi.

"Um... sure. If that's what you want to call him. Lots of people respect him. He's even pretty famous no matter how modest he is about his skills." Tea replies, unaware of the hope she is birthing into the Vikings' ears. She tosses a few more stones at Yugi's window.

"Oh, this is most gratifying. A soldier who hath travelled the fields of battle and earned the love his folk. Perhaps Egal did so presume wrongly about your decision, dear Princess."

"I know I did not choose unwisely. My uncle will be most pleased to learn of this new warrior."

Excited and renewed with hope, Iuli too joins Tea in trying to wake Yugi. She takes a stone in her hand and chucks it through the glass. Pieces of it shatter to the ground, making an awful cacophony of shattering glass. Tea cringes just before a well needed facepalm. Iuli would be the very death of her- that she could tell already. She turns wildly turns to the princess, now with a full comprehension of why her uncle had punched her so firmly.

"Iuli! Are you crazy? Save the Viking brutality for some raid, you- you- ugh! Why me?"

"My apologies." the princess blushes with a giggle. The other Vikings try to stifle a laugh, though none of them can grasp why Tea has become so fumed over a broken window. Was that not what she was attempting to do in the first place?

"Tea?"

It's Yugi. His eyes are wide awake now that they are looking at the jagged edges of his window. They grow even wider at the sight of three fully armed Vikings surrounding her. He can't decide what to think; has she been taken hostage, or simply stalked by some freaks at a Medieval festival?

"Yugi!" she exhales with all her relief. "Look, I am so sorry. I can explain, but it's kind of long story. Ok. No. Actually, I can't explain. I just... um... I need a little help here."

"Um... sure, Tea. Whatever you need. Hold on." he leaves the window for a moment and reappears at the game shop door, ready to welcome her in. The three Vikings follow in suit, overlooking the presence of such a small boy. Surely he was not the warrior Tea spoke so highly of. Yugi leads them all quietly into his room where he makes sure to lock the door behind them. No way his grandfather would believe Tea was in the house because of three Vikings taking her prisoner.

"Uh... so, who are you friends?"

"They're not my friends. They're, well, ... they're spirits. Ok, I know this sounds crazy and it's so unplanned. But I had nowhere else to go. Yugi, you're the only one I know who can help. You have plenty experience with spirits! I don't know what to do. And... oh, it's just such a mess right now. "

"Spirits?"

"Yes. From the cards."

Yugi scans the whole disheveled crew over. They're each a mess of their own and have an odor that could choke an elephant. He looks to the Pharaoh for answers, which leaves the others in silence. Runi, Skaari, and Iuli all take turns giving looks and examining the room. In such a small space, they dare not move. What if another item blinked or made an unwanted noise? What if it transformed like so many of the items they'd seen thus far? What if a witch had cursed it, or a troll had claimed it? Everything was all so foreign that they could place where they fit in.

"If this is the case, then it could explain why the puzzle has been acting so strange lately. All these spirits and their energies can cloud even my connection with the pharaoh. Who exactly are they?"

"What? You don't recognize them? Why don't you take another look and you'll see what I mean."

That makes each of the straighten. Now that they were being examined, they tighten even more so. Yugi listens again to pharaoh, and both their eyes widen when they spy Iuli trying to hide behind the boys. Her dress, her hair, and her sword is all so recognizable.

"It's Iuli. The Dragon-Tongued Princess! But... grandpa gave you that card!"

"Yup. Don't you see, Yugi? There are spirits trapped within Duel Monster cards! There's another spirit rummaging around in my apartment too. Who knows how many there may be? And I think that may be why your communication with the pharaoh gets so messed up specifically when you're in the shop. They're in the cards!"

"You're right. What have you gotten into this time, Tea?"

"I don't know, but I'm sure I'm way in over my head on this one. Which is why I need the help of you and the pharaoh. They claim to be at war, that the game has begun, and now I am their host. I'm pretty sure that's not exactly a walk in the park."

Yugi looks again at the Vikings. "Well, if this has as much to do with the shadows as I think it does, then we'll have to find out as much as possible. There may be more, and worse, they may be dangerous. We have to figure something out before things get too serious. Iuli," he calls to her. "Do you think you can explain this 'game' to us?"

She is silent. Her mouth falls aquiver as she looks to the other Vikings for assistance. They, too, say nothing. Instead, they nudge her slightly forward in to the direct sight of this crazy-haired boy. Her hands fiddle behind her as she searches for words, but none are there to delineate.

Yugi nods understandingly. If she can not talk to him, perhaps she can speak to someone who would understand their situation on a more personal level. His eyes closes gently, allowing a bright energy to flow through him. The golden pyramid dangling at his core awakens, and the other spirits catch a sense of it as well. Instinctively, all swords are drawn and ready to tear any enemy in half. Suddenly the air has changed, and this boy is not so much a wide-eyed child, but a bold, domineering presence.

Sharp, intense eyes reawaken, and they're grabbing at Iuli's very existence.

**End Chapter**

**Thanks For Reading, Beautiful!**

* * *

**I would really like to thank WhatAboutTheCardGames for making my cover photo. It is so fun and magical to see your interpretation of Iuli and make her into a card, so thank you so much! You are so talented and thoughtful! Blessed Be!**

**Video is up on youtube on Mary-Sues (also dedicated to WhatAboutTheCardGames). Will be making more soon for Yugioh, writing, or both. Ihave a lot requested and planned so we'll see what happens. Ahron Rhine on youtube.**


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